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expiationlogs2023-10-23 02:25 pm
- !event,
- arcane: jinx,
- arcane: violet / vi,
- blazblue: ragna the bloodedge,
- bungo stray dogs: nikolai gogol,
- fh2 termina: levi,
- magia record: mitama yakumo,
- marvel comics (earth 616): quentin quire,
- persona 4: yu narukami,
- persona 5 royal: goro akechi,
- reiwa no dara-san: dara,
- umineko wtc: ange ushiromiya,
- x-men movieverse: scott summers
MINGLE LOG: OCTOBER
Aldrip locals are buzzing with excitement as the end of the month draws near. According to them, two beloved traditions are just around the corner: the gathering and the witch hunt!
Let's get started!
WE GATHER HERE
I. EVERYBODY MAKE A SCENE
Those who come from worlds with trick-or-treating will find that this sounds pretty familiar: dress in costume, get treats. Rather than going door-to-door, however, the locals have set up a whole line of booths in the bustling marketplace. Participating locations will have pumpkin-shaped lanterns over their stalls, and will hand out various items: candies are traditional, of course, but pastries, treats, and even savory foods may be available. Some booths may also offer drinks (alcoholic or not) or small trinkets like pins, stickers, or scarves.
What's the catch? You must be in costume, of course! Some Chosen may welcome this as a fun activity—costumes are available at Rin's Shop from now until the end of the month. A number of traditional costumes will be readily available, of course, but the Tresed locals who have taken over the shop also have some...let's call it "eclectic" original designs. They also take requests. And they seem even more excited than the Aldrip locals, if you can believe it. Some reluctant Chosen may find themselves bullied into participating, if they're not careful.
We leave these costumes entirely up to you: they could be generic costumes like "witch" or "ghost," or something from your character's world. The tailors currently operating Rin's shop are capable of making mostly anything.
At various points during the night, Chosen could discover that they've been either TRICKED or TREATED by participating in this tradition. Comment in the thread below if you'd like to participate, and we'll roll you a random effect.
A WITCH! A WITCH!
The Aldrip Witch Hunt is a symbolic tradition that, according to locals, goes back by countless generations. Local opinions seem to be mixed on whether there is a real witch to speak of: some claim that the Council has chosen someone to act as the witch every year since its inception. Others claim that it's all conceptual. Either way, with a small number of frightening fruits still on the loose, locals are willing to let the Chosen deal with any dangers.
Those intrepid Chosen who wish to seek out the witch are told to head into the forest, where small electric lanterns will show the way. These lanterns seem to be scattered across the forest, in some cases leading Chosen off course or off the beaten path. Some may end up lost in the woods. But some lanterns do seem to light the way to different locations. Visiting these locations may yield some…interesting results. If you’re interested in investigating these areas, leave a comment in the thread below to let us know which location(s) you visit, and we’ll roll something for you.
Following a stream in the woods eventually leads to a cave opening. The floor of the came is wet and a little slippery, so take care where you step. The cave is deep, and as explorers move through it, they're going at a gentle descent, the Chosen will uncover old cave paintings, faded and worn with age. Most of these are little more than marks upon the wall, but occasionally some may find images that look almost like worship, figures captivated by strange boxes, hands in the air as if in veneration.
Occasionally, items from other parts of Expiation can also be found. The odd tablet part, an old-looking shoe, a piece of rusted jewelry or a shell that looks like it belongs more on the beach…these don't seem like they should be here.
The Chosen who explore this cave ought to be wary of the time. As the tide comes in, water begins to slosh around their ankles, filling the bottom of the cave and rising quickly.
Those who took it upon themselves to investigate the strange chimera creatures from earlier in the month might have seen this weird little bunker before, but the turrets that seemed to protect it at the time are now powered down, allowing access inside.
That said, whomever was there seems to be long gone, leaving behind a flurry of documents, diagrams, and other miscellaneous work in their wake. The bunker has two levels, connected by stairs. The first level seems to house medical experiments, ranging from various herbal concoctions (if you get my drift) to precise surgical work. Things have been meticulously cleaned up on that front, so they won't be walking into a bloody mess. Everything has the faint smell of rubbing alcohol and bleach. Notes on this level are mostly medical in nature and quite rudimentary, some aspects bordering on pseudoscience or magic. Near the stairs, the Chosen will find cages, all empty. Strangely, even though the animals were only recently released, things are coated in a deep layer of dust, as if this place hasn't seen activity in a long, long time.
The second level seems to be comprised of mechanical experiments, builds, and engineering work. There's all sorts of different types of technology down here: some looks familiar, in a similar style to the tablets. Some is quite advanced, from the look of it…but it all seems to have been taken apart, cannibalized, and put back together in ways that make no sense. Glass screens drilled onto metal casings, keypads that don't seem to attach to anything, engines tied to attempted vehicles with rope. Most of these elements have been damaged beyond repair with hammers and staple guns.
Something interesting of note is that some areas within this bunker still seem to have power. Among them, a small block of video screens that seems to be used as surveillance. Most of these screens show areas just outside of the bunker or within the entry way. Other screens seem to flicker, occasionally showing static, but sometimes showing something that seems like faces within the static, figures moving in some way.
This abandoned house sits derelict at the edge of town. Has it been there this whole time? It certainly doesn't look new…
A graveyard stands just beyond its gate, in front of the house, warning away trespassers. These graves don't look terribly worn with age, and have no years carved into them, but have names and some even list cause of death. "Threatened the wrong scoundrel," "may Those Who Were There have mercy upon their soul," or "charged with a crime they did not commit" are not uncommon claims. There are dozens of them, daring intrepid Chosen to pass them and enter the house.
Said house is old, creaky, and creepy. Inside, the already-spooky effects of the forest seem to be more pronounced: one may occasionally hear voices or see visions from the corner of their eye, only to look and find nothing there. Peculiar things seem to happen in this house, though. Mirrors still hang in some rooms, and while they often show a true reflection of those who look at them, they occasionally show others as well: shadowy figures, strange people the Chosen have never seen before, even some faces of Aldrip locals, distorted and sometimes missing parts. The shadows within the house seem to shift, as if they can't quite decide what they should be hiding. Portraits also hang in the hallways, faded and dusty. Mostly they show unrecognized people in old-fashioned clothes, but occasionally one might think they see their own face, or the face of someone they knew from home.
The attic is of particular interest, containing among its many cobwebs a single large chest in the middle of the room. Opening this chest reveals an item of great importance to the person who first touches it, something sentimental or meaningful to them. Upon touching this item, it seems to crumble away into nothing.
Some lanterns lead past the forest, out to the meadows and fields where most of the Aldrip locals plant their crops. On a hill beyond those fields stands a circle of ancient-looking stones, their edges dulled with age, covered in moss and lichen. This stone circle stands within a large earthen barrier, little more than a hill beneath the grass. Opening doors within this barrier reveals what looks like ancient offerings: broken pieces of earthenware, bits of metalwork or broken pieces of armor, even the occasional rusted, useless weapon.
The stones themselves encircle a paved circle with markings at regular points. It almost looks like a clock or a sundial. Standing within the paved circle, one may imagine that they hear voices of people they don't recognize, along with a faint ringing in their ears. Within this circle, the sun always seems to be directly overhead, during the day. At night, the stars twinkle, but seem to move in their nightly pattern much faster than they normally would.
Go wild! If there's anything that you'd like to do in the Trick or Treating portion especially, go right on ahead! Other than that, anything else that you may think of may go!
A Note: The festival will be available every night, and the lanterns will be visible until the next State of the Game post.
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[He quits plucking at it for now, gesturing at the exciting new jacket.]
Are you finished? Shall we make our way to the festival?
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[He looks to the jacket then back to Yusuke.]
Uh, yeah. This is all I want. Lets go.
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After a moment he chooses the half of the street that looks less crowded right now, because-]
Let us take the unbeaten path and discover the secret treasures of this fine market!
[And also. The lines will be shorter. He's hungry.]
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I don't really know what a lot of this is, but I'm kind of excited to try it!
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[He looooves a good sample kiosk. Away they go, and Yusuke gets almost visibly more excited as they pass each booth, until he spots a booth handing out entire caramel apples For Free and points! Look!!]
We must try one of those!
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[Covered in something. Something sweet, probably, going by the rest of the treats that were around. He's not sure he's even heard of apples covered in stuff, but he knows his diet choices have been pretty limited.
Well, he might as well try it.]
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[Levi!!! Look at them!!!! Yusuke reaches for his sleeve, to tug him over to the apple booth. Come, come, get an apple on a stick, it's So Exciting.]
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[So many things piled on that apple. He's not sure its needed, but as long as it tastes good its fine! He lets Yusuke tug him over to the booth, grabbing himself a caramel apple coated in nuts and little pumpkin and ghost shaped candies. He snickers a bit.]
They really went all in on these.
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[He is... mesmerized by this apple as he picks it up, spinning it slowly on the stick to view it from every angle. Are his eyes sparkling? Very possible! There's nothing he enjoys more (right this second) than this Novelty Food Item, so give him a moment to gaze in awe upon this apple... wow...]
The decorative candy, as well... This is a work of art unto itself, don't you agree?
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[He replies through a full mouth. He swallow before continuing.]
I bet it took awhile to make all of this. If it's yearly they can keep the booths and stuff, but the food has to be fresh.
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Hours, I imagine. Do you know much about cooking? I am helpless in that regard, I'm afraid.
[But it's fine, people feed him most of the time.]
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[He shakes his head.]
I've never cooked anything.
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[People who. Can cook. Yeah. Now that he thinks about it--]
I have been wondering if it would be beneficial to learn. But the price of ingredients is rather intimidating.
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[Then again this guy seems like he might be the type to be perfect the first try.]
Though if you don't...its still practice.
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You make a salient point. However, my funds currently reside in the realm of "none," so I'm afraid the quest towards cooking is over before it began.
[Get A Job, Yusuke]
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[How does one apply to anything?]
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Nor have I. I have never needed to wonder if I'm employable by ordinary standards, as an artist. [he just paints pretty pictures??] What are your marketable skills?
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[Does he have marketable skills? All he knows how to do is kill people.]
...I don't think I have any. I've been a soldier my whole life.
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Then we are equally out of our depth. Perhaps we could engage in what is known as "brainstorming."
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[Retail??? Could either of them do retail. Big ask.]
I admit, working in a store seems rather dull to me.
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I could make an earnest attempt. I could peddle your wares.
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I-I don't know, maybe one of the shops is hiring? The locals don't seem to like us that much, but they were fine with having me take pictures for them before.
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[Consider: they do not have to do that just for pocket change.]
Perhaps I cannot afford- [ha] to be picky, however.
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